Saturday, 30 July 2011

Never drawn in the high numbers before so was quite eager to get down the bottom of the lake, as it can be a good skimmer area as it’s a lot deeper (turned out to be about 8 foot).However on arrive to the peg, I was concerned with the depth as the fish will unlikely to in this depth as it’s too deep, I thought it would only be five foot, so after putting on third rig on I was worried now.To make matters worse, the cables above me were covered in feeders, bombs, methods etc.......so casting is going to be difficult and been in the corner of the lake, I’m cut off a little, so my main focus will be on the pole.The positive is that I have a little bit of room, so I may catch down the edge and if I’m lucky enough to do so, then these carp will be big!!!

The match

I fed pellets at 6 meters at the bottom of the slop and hoped to catch on paste or pellet and put pellets at 13 meters and chop worm at 14 meters at a 45 degree angle, out of the way.Started on the method at 30 yards, and for the first twenty it never moved.So when at 6 meters, never had a bite and “snooty fox” next to me had a F1 on the method casting against the far bank, so there is feeding fish in the area so things were looking up especially when he netted his second, but there was one slight problem they weren’t my fish!

After about an hour I had lost two proper carp on the long pole over pellet, one was foul hooked and the other it pulled out for some reason.So I was relieved when \I caught my first bream on 4mm expander pellet over 4mm skretting coarse pellet.After two hours I had 2 bream and 2 F1’s.Things weren’t looking good, and looking around the lake things weren’t looking any better.So I decided to loose feed caster over my chop worm line that has only produce one bream so far.I would fed casters for twenty minutes and see if any fish would ”boil” over the top, which they didn’t.So when I went onto this line I was surprised to catch a 6oz roach and then another, then dead, so changed the depth and caught another.This was looking better, as now 3 fish for about 12oz, so at least I was putting something in the net.Quick call to my dad, to ensure that my efforts weren’t going to be wasted, and he said that he was struggling and was now fishing caster..........

My caster rig was 4 x 10 preston chantina with 0.11 straight through and changed from 22 B611, to 16 LS-1150, as the fish won’t blow out the caster so well.It may look silly a 16 hook, baring in mind these 16 hooks are more there a 14, and this can work wonders!Now I was hitting far more bites from these roach, but you could only catch two or maybe three at one time and they would back off.I wish I had a waggler rod, as I reckon I would of caught a lot more roach.However I never expected Barston to fish so difficult.But looking at the weather conditions it was no surprises really!

The last hour I fished on paste at 13 meters, and caught another 3 bream and bumped one, which was going to cost me, which it did, as I should of easily been second in the match.

Monday, 25 July 2011

Peg 16 (flyer)
68lb
2nd (even though was 20 mintues late starting after been at Manor farm)

It fished hard, but our 4 hour match saw 90lb that won it, 68lb (me) and 3 50lb weights with a few 40lbs. There was fish all over the lake, but as soon as that ripple stopped, it became so difficult to catch. There was fish eveywhere in my peg, but I couldn't catch them.

Saturday, 9 July 2011

I’m always keen to fish new venues, as there is always surprise which can do either way.After getting lost, I finally got to the lake and spoke to the bailiff to try and get some information on the venue.As Woody said, start on the method feeder in hope of an early (lucky) carp and when fish the pole for skimmers and odd carp and then done the edge for lumps.Sounds easy???The maximum size pellet you can feed on Warren Lake is 4mm and it has to fishery feed pellet only.You can use your own hook pellet.

The lake looked stunning, and was reasonably big and pegs were at a sensible distance apart and we had the whole lake, so some of us had empty pegs between us, so plenty of room.My only concern was the lake of fish moving, not many fish crashing around, but the lake was a good colour, so guessing there must be a good head of fish to maintain the colour (fish eating and stirring up the bottom).

The Match

I started on the method at 25 yards, and for thirty minutes I hadn’t had a bite, and looking around the lake there was lack of action and around me no one had caught.Jamie across the lake had caught a large carp and “snooty fox” was catching small carp all on the method feeder.So I decided to go on the pole and caught a few small perch, which wasn’t a good sign and then tried pellet to my left, and caught a few roach and then finally caught a bream about 10oz.The guys to my left had about 3 skimmers and the guy to my right had caught nothing...... things weren’t looking good.

I was getting “bitted” out and these fish weren’t really worth catch as they were too small.I even tried to fish caster up and down in the water, but couldn’t put a run of fish together.So after three hours (half way through) I felt I was going no where.So decided to launch a load of bait down the edge, 4 tins of corn and 2 pints of pellet and 2 pints of water.Within 5 minutes I had a carp about 8lb moving around, but it spooked off without me even putting a rig down there.So I decided to move my empty carp net and put it out of the way, as i felt it may of spooked because of seeing the net.However this didn’t work and I now felt that I had no chance of doing any good in the match.So got off my box and got another feeder rod and casted 40 yards with a cage feeder with groundbait and pellet and put a bed of bait on the bottom and then fish a method over the top and hope to catch a few lumpslate and even catch down the edge as there is a mountain of bait there.So to no surprised, this didn’t work and I weighed a miserable 32lb, despite thinking I only had 22lb.I caught 3 carp late on the long line and a few bream.The fish did come, but so late and either side both caught a decent sized carp, whereas I caught 3 small carp for 10lb 12oz.So got battered either side, and felt that I should of kept fishing on the pole and caught anything that swam and put fish in the net, as only 40lb won the section (well done daddy May).

Pete Bailey won the match with an impressive 104lb. For most, it was a difficult match as it fished very hard.

Saturday, 2 July 2011

Don't cut your worms too fine, as you can see some huge chucks, corn and mirco pellet added. Half a kilo of worms will be enough, so don't be thinking you need loads of bait, because I would only feed it via toss pot, anything more you will attract carp which will mess the bream fishing up.

17lb 4oz, 1st fish. Good start.

Dathan, the camra man, showed me how to catch at the end of the match. Not sure how big, guessing bewteen 15lb - 18lb